Oyo Govt to Ban Operation of Motorcycles Beyond 10pm

The Oyo State House of Assembly has approved a bill that prohibits motorcycles from operating after 10 p.m. in the state.

The bill – “Control of Commercial Motorcycles (Further Amendment) Bill 2019,” which became a legal framework during Tuesday’s plenary session at the state assembly, imposes fines of between N5,000 and N15,000 on anyone caught operating commercial motorcycles after 10 p.m.

According to Olatunde Kehinde, Chairman of the House Committee on Works and Transportation, the purpose of the measures in the bill, was to lessen the use of motorcycles in criminal activity.

The bill mandates, among other things, that commercial motorcyclists register their motorcycle(s) with the State Ministry of Works and Transport within six months of the law’s implementation and get a unique cycler’s permit number and identity card.

If a commercial motorbike owner or operator fails to register their motorcycle in accordance with the requirements, they are guilty of an offence and face a N5,000 fine or a month in jail upon conviction.

The measure, which is an addition to the Control of Commercial Motorcycles Law of 1995, also specifies punishments and fines for riders who are found guilty of being careless or reckless.

Section 6 of the bill stipulates that: “Any person who rides a motorcycle recklessly or negligently or at a speed or in a manner which is dangerous having regard to all the circumstances of the case including the nature, condition and use of the road and to the amount to traffic which actually is at the time or which might reasonably be expected to be on the road, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N10,000 or to a term of two years imprisonment.”

Furthermore, section 7 stipulates thus: “Any person who causes the death of another person by riding a motorcycle recklessly or at a speed or in a manner which is dangerous to the public having regard to all the circumstances of the case including the nature, condition and use of the road and to the amount of traffic which is actually at the time or which might reasonably be expected to be on the road shall be guilty or an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or to a term of five years imprisonment.”